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Boulder residents survey flood damage: 'Our house was almost on an island'

By Sarah Kuta For the Camera

Posted:
09/13/2013 07:49:17 PM MDT

Updated:
09/18/2013 03:24:38 PM MDT

Late Thursday night, Brian and Wendy Underhill heard a loud grinding noise outside their property on west Arapahoe Avenue.

When they went outside to investigate, they were stunned to find that an entire structure -- an old wooden cabin -- had been swept 100 yards downhill and had stopped in front of their driveway.

"It just cruised right down the road and ended up right down there," Brian Underhill said.

The sopping wet cabin was still standing Friday morning as the Underhills and several neighbors began cleanup efforts from the week's storms. While parts of the county dealt with helicopter evacuations and devastating destruction, many Boulder residents surveyed their neighborhoods and began what could be long cleanup process.

Though the sun came out for much of Friday and many residents appeared cheerful and upbeat, some worried about predictions of more rain over the weekend.

The Underhills were still without power late Friday morning. In addition to the cabin blocking their driveway, they were also blocked in by a red SUV stuck in the alley leading from their house to Arapahoe Avenue.

Wendy Underhill, in a pair of black rain boots, moved boulders and rocks to help direct the flow of water still rushing downstream.

"I think that it takes people with work gloves and good backs to put it back together again," she said. "Nothing that's happened here looks to me like normal human beings can't get it functional again."

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Hordes of Boulder residents wandered around Boulder Creek and nearby areas, snapping pictures of the roaring water and debris on the roads. All of Boulder was alive Friday morning with runners, people on bikes, curious pedestrians with dogs and crowds of inquisitive residents wandering the streets.

Bob Lanham spotted a line of slow-moving crayfish near Boulder Creek's bank just east of Sixth Street. The crayfish, which occasionally got swept a few inches downstream by sudden waves from the creek, crawled toward higher ground.

Lanham lives at Ninth Street and Arapahoe Avenue, which was part of the evacuation zone Thursday night. Because he lives in a second-floor condo, he stayed at home but watched as his downstairs neighbors fled on foot to higher ground.

"One of (the units) filled up with water at the front door, blew out the back door and back windows and blew all the furniture clear out into the yard like a bomb going off," Lanham said. "It was really pretty scary."

Fran Lewis, a 40-year Boulder resident, watched the rain Thursday night from her balcony on the 700 block of Walnut Street.

By Friday, Lewis said she was ready to stretch her legs and take a walk to survey the damage from the storms and flooding.

"I've never seen the creek like this," said Lewis, 83, pointing toward the water. "Look at it. It can't contain itself. It's so wild."

On west Pearl Street, Kevin Moore pointed to the cul-de-sac near his home. There, a pump worked to reduce the size of a large pond as water rushed east down the street.

Moore said he was sleeping Wednesday night when he smelled a potent "earthy" odor. Sure enough, water was rushing by both sides of his house and down Pearl Street in front.

Though he has flood insurance, Moore spent Wednesday and Thursday night building berms to protect the house from water. For the most part, Moore's efforts paid off -- the carpet inside was damp, but otherwise the house was safe.

"Our house was almost on an island because we were just covered with water," Moore said. "It was up to my knees over here, and this side was just flowing everywhere. It was terrible."

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